A Chance Encounter
by Crimson613
Summary: [Rewrite of Little Mermaid, Naruto Version]. Naruto has always remembered things that don't really make sense but after a chance encounter with a human ship, the little puzzle pieces start to connect ever so slowly. SasuNaruSasu.
1. Author's Note

Notes:

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Inspired by Little Mermaid, Naruto Version by Crimson613.

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***SPOILER ALERT FOR STORY, #6. If you have not read LMNV, and don't wish to be semi-spoiled, don't read bullet point #6. Thank you.**

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Hi everyone~!

As you may all already know (thanks to the summary), this story is a rewrite of a story I wrote a while ago called Little Mermaid, Naruto Version. Even though it's a rewrite, I can almost consider this story to be a completely different one from the previous. Here are some things to expect:

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1. I actually have something planned out for this one. This idea that I'm working with isn't really new, since I planned to introduce it in the sequel I had planned (which never really came to fruition). I believe I may have mentioned something related to the idea at the end of the story but I'm not sure.

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2-3. The character roles have switched! For example, in LMNV, Kiba was Naruto's sidekick but in this version, Kiba is human! And he's now Sasuke's sidekick (if you can call him that). This little thing also means that I'm playing around with the pairings that I'll be showcasing. Some may change, other may not. Also, new characters!

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4. SasuNaruSasu will be yaoi now! In LMNV, I had made Naruto a girl. Well, now he's a guy. No gender-bender. I made Naruto a girl in LMNV because I was just getting into yaoi and getting comfortable. Considering the amount of time that's passed, I'd say I'm more than comfortable with some real yaoi! Besides, now it's awkward to write a SasuFemNaru.

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5. Better grammar and spelling! At least, I hope so.

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6. Different format! I got this amazing review from CorruptEnglightment (on ) about the flow of things, some questions about certain characters. I'd like to improve on all this!

_This seemed a little bit frivolous. I kept reading it because I enjoyed your early portrayal of Naruto - it isn't often someone gets a female Naruto in-character while still indicating female characteristics - but even that was a little bit weak at the ending seems half-hearted and rushed; even the fight comes across that way. Scenes skip around with no real closure on situations, and it seems as though characters magically teleport to the area they're next required to be in, sometimes without even a hint of how they got there. The Kyuubi character comes across as an afterthought. How did she get to live with humans? How did she become Itachi's wife? Finally, closure. There was no recapping of events or indication of how things would turn out, no indication of what would happen to secondary characters (Ino, Sakura, Kiba - what happened to Kiba's romance, anyway?), and the only notable detail was in the clothing.I hope this does not come across as my hating on the story; it was a light, enjoyable read. I simply offer suggestions in the event that you may want to improve your writing skill. Keep up the good work._

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7. And the most obvious, change in rating! The rating used to be K+, which meant kids 9 and over could read. Well, now you have to be a teenager! Why? There may be some "adult themes" but nothing too over the top (at least, I don't think so).

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ENJOY~!


	2. Prologue

**Sasuke Uchiha, age 8**

Sasuke watched as, once more, the ball they were using sailed over his small body and into the vast ocean. It was the sixth ball that had been replaced and he glared over at the culprit. Ruffled brown locks and chocolate eyes stared back rather mischievously, a devious grin on their small lips. They wore a baggy black tank top shirt and tan khaki shorts, their brown feet bare.

"Sorry, I'll replace it this time," but Sasuke knew the brunette wasn't completely honest. He sighed, finally realizing that the day had come to an end.

"Well, we have to go back anyways," Sasuke responded, taking one last look into the ocean, the white ball only a glimmer.

"Hey, we should come back here tomorrow and play!" his companion began to run ahead of him, near the edge of the beach, his bare feet kicking up sand and water.

Sasuke nodded, deciding to keep his distance from the brunette, and then quickly added, "But this time we'll switch places. We can't keep replacing the ball and I know I won't kick it hard enough to go sailing."

"Alright, al-hey! Look out!"

But it was too late. Sasuke fell forward and would have fallen face first had he not been quick to catch himself, "What?!"

"Sasuke are you okay?!" Sasuke only nodded, rubbing at his head. That had felt like –

"The ball!" Sasuke turned to the brunette that had run back towards him and cradled in his arms was the ball they had dubbed gone just minutes ago.

"How?" Sasuke asked, but the brunette was already running towards the water, leaving the ball behind, his lower half quickly submerged.

"Kiba!"

"Is anyone out there?!" Kiba yelled out but his only answer was the quiet sound of the waves coming and going. He didn't go farther and for that Sasuke was thankful, but the brunette did look around every rock that was close by. Sasuke walked closer to the water, but only enough for it to touch his toes. Kiba came back a minute later.

"That's strange," the brunette mumbled, "there's nobody around…"

But Sasuke was no longer paying attention to his friend. He had seen something in the water…

"Let's go back and tell your brother! I'm sure he'll know what happened," the brunette exclaimed as he dragged Sasuke away.

As he looked back, Sasuke was sure he saw a pair of blue eyes watching them; a mop of messy hair caressed their face and then disappeared into the water. The ball was forgotten on the sandy beach.


	3. Chapter 1

**Sasuke Uchiha, age 22**

Sasuke sighed once more as lithe hands maneuvered along his body, making sure that all the creases in his clothes became nonexistent. They moved along his back, his front, and momentarily stopped at his neck to adjust the black tie that hung loosely at his chest. Lastly, those hands rested softly on his cheeks and he looked into the eyes of their owner. Mikoto Uchiha, the wife of the deceased Fugaku Uchiha, and current ruler of Konoha. She was tall, only a few inches shorter from his six foot stature, with sharp but caring onyx eyes, pale skin, and long raven hair. She smiled at him sweetly and he looked to the side, only to find Kiba at the door, a smirk on his face.

"Got a date pretty boy?" a booming laugh resonated in the large living room they inhabited, followed by a sharp bark.

"Kiba," he growled out a warning but his mother only laughed quietly.

They had been friends since they were in diapers and sometimes Sasuke wondered how their friendship hadn't ended in him strangling the dog lover.

"So," Kiba began, his eyes following Mikoto as she moved around the room, her eyes running over a mental checklist of their necessities, "who are we going to reject this time?"

"Reject?" Mikoto's eyebrows furrowed as she quietly mumbled, "No, no…we're going to go see and maybe even stay so that Sasuke can court the lovely Sakura Haruno…now where is that thing…"

Sasuke sighed, "Mother, Kakashi already took it onboard, is there anything else you need?"

"Ah yes! Of course, how could I have forgotten," she shook her head, finally grabbing the neglected purse on the armrest of the couch, "We're done here boys, let's head out now. And Kiba, don't worry about Akamaru, preparations have been made."

"Did ya here that boy," Sasuke looked over to the brunette's companion. Akamaru was a "pup" that Kiba had been given when he turned five. At one point, the dog had been small enough to fit inside the brunette's coat, now, however, it stood next to him, half the male's size when sitting and towering over him when standing, which was an impressive feat considering Kiba was just as tall as he was.

"Damn Sasuke, if she wasn't your mom, I would so hook up with –" and Kiba couldn't say another word, at least, not with the knee plunged deep into his gut. He collapsed on the floor, his arms twitching and Akamaru barked. Sasuke continued to walk out of the house, a scowl on his face.

Indeed he wondered why the brunette was still alive.

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**Naruto Uzumaki, age 19**

Naruto watched as the ship that was docked right outside of Konoha departed once more. It was the fourth time this month that it had left and something told him it wouldn't be long gone. Usually, it was gone for about a week. The last trip had been the longest, lasting about two weeks. He sighed, wondering why the raven, which he had discovered went by the name of Sasuke, was going out so much.

"If you keep sighing like that you'll end up disappearing," a voice teased. Naruto grumbled at his best friend.

"I'm not sighing."

"Sure you're not. Anyways, your dad's looking for you, something about tomorrow," she continued on. Naruto nodded, still watching as the ship sailed away. Once it disappeared he turned to his companion.

"Alright then," he smiled, "Before we go meet with my old man, we have a mission. I believe I told you about it, right?"

Tenten, a brunette with pigtails and chocolate eyes saluted, "Yes you did! You know, I thought you'd end up cancelling once we found out he was leaving."

"Ha!" Naruto laughed, "You underestimate me, besides, it was just the bastard and three others that left. There's still the older one inside. Did you bring the stuff?"

Tenten nodded and brought up the bag around her shoulders to the surface. Inside was some rope, a knife, five small rubber balls, and a jar of paint. She handed Naruto the extra bag she carried and they headed over towards the large estate.

The Uchiha Mansion was surrounded by a large brick wall, which protected the place from the sea, however, while exploring one day, Naruto had found that there was a small opening which could be used as an entrance. It had been closed off by metal bars but they had taken care of making an opening for the both of them about a week ago. Luckily for Naruto, he was almost as slim as a girl. As they arrived at the entrance, Naruto was glad to see the metal bars still bent. He really couldn't help but thank the shark that they had aggravated. It had taken some extra planning and sea exploring, but it was worth it, especially with what they were about to do now.

They both entered the small alcove and treaded carefully. The only light that could be seen was a few meters ahead and, while he was confident, he also knew that on the other side of this tunnel, humans resided. And he had a promise to keep.

"Alright, so up ahead there should be a split in this thing," Naruto whispered just a few feet away from the entrance, "I'll head along the edge while you follow straight ahead. Remember, your side is going to turn into a bay so be careful."

"I should be telling you that," Tenten retorted, "What with that head and tail of yours."

It was true. Out of all the mer-people that he knew, he was the only one who had a tail the color of sapphires. He was rather proud of that and at the same time annoyed. If anyone ever caught him exploring, there was no way he could talk his way out of trouble.

"I'm not that stupid," he countered but Tenten only laughed.

"Let's go then, the faster we do this, the sooner we get results!"

They both nodded and headed their separate ways.

Naruto emerged second, making sure his head didn't peek out more than what was necessary. Nobody looked to be out now, which was good. He continued along the thin stream, heading towards the opposite side of estate. The bag he carried was filled with his "supplies."

"I'll show you not to dismiss the great Naruto Uzumaki you bastard."

It had been some time now since he had tried to communicate with the raven, without really speaking with him. He had tried letters. Pakkun, one of the dogs inside the manor, would help him get them to Sasuke, and other times, he would get Akamaru, the dog that was always with the raven's friend, "find" them. And each and every time, the raven would either scoff or rip them. Really, did the guy even read them? Tenten had clearly disapproved of his actions when he had first started up, claiming it was much different from their usual tricks and pranks, that it could lead to trouble with his parents and humans, but Naruto didn't care. There was something about Sasuke that made him act irrational, of that much he was certain.

_"You so have the hots for that human."_

He scoffed. Tenten was wrong. I mean, _sure_, the raven was a tad bit attractive, more so than most of the girls and guys he had ever met. The way those onyx eyes were so penetrating in their gaze, the way all his clothes clung to him, showing off the muscles on his body, the black locks that framed his face and stood up at attention behind him, and those creamy and thin fingers. Naruto blushed. So maybe he did have a bit of a crush on that human, but he certainly wasn't _in love_!

A shriek alerted him of Tenten's part of the plan and he got to work.

He quickly climbed out of the stream and pulled himself over to the building. Just like Pakkun had told him, a single window of a set of three was left open just a crack. It was low enough for Naruto to get a hold on and pull himself up. As he took a peek, he noticed that the room was huge and if his guess was correct, this place was the living room. He let go of the window sill and sat just under it, making sure not to leave heavy marks on the grass. He didn't need to leave evidence like that. He pulled out the jar of paint from the brown bag at his side and dipped the rubber balls inside. The orange eagerly sucked in the little mass of black. He dipped another inside just to get things moving along. Once they were both colored orange, Naruto pulled them out and hoisted himself on the sill once more, tossing them inside the manor. He did that three more times, unleashing five balls of orange paint inside. The rest of the paint was used to decorate the few things that were close to him – a single person couch, a table, lamp, and some glass.

He cackled. It wasn't the best of his pranks, but this would have to do.

He headed back towards the stream and looked back at the building once more. There was still one more thing he had to do. He reached inside the bag once more and brought out a moderately large black stone. It was incredibly smooth and it had been hand-picked by himself. Using his orange fingers, he placed his signature on the stone.

He took aim and threw it.

Pakkun had told him that Sasuke's window was the second one over on the top floor. A crack was heard and he couldn't help but cheer, "Success!"

He quickly jumped into the stream and headed back to the entrance. Tenten was already waiting there, her hands over her mouth. Once they were on the other side, however, they were both laughing without a care.

"That was awesome!" they both cheered.

"You should have seen their faces!" Tenten laughed, holding her sides. The buns on her head had come slightly loose but that didn't stop her, "And those things they use, I swear she would have drowned if I hadn't been there."

Naruto rolled his eyes but chuckled none-the-less, "It's called a dress Tenten. A dress."

"Yeah, whatever, what about you?"

"Success, like always," he beamed.

"I don't think what you did yesterday was _success_," she teased.

Naruto pouted, remembering how he had tried to get rid of Iruka. He was sure that his plan would have succeeded, if Sai had actually been serious, "That wasn't my fault, besides, we took care of him today."

"Really now?" Both Tenten and Naruto turned at the voice and right behind them was Iruka. His hair was disheveled, clearly not in his usual tight ponytail, and his face was flushed red. His left eye was twitching and a vein looked about ready to burst.

"Uh, Iruka-sensei…d-did you like the present we sent?" Naruto tried, scooting away from the infuriated caretaker but Iruka would have none of that. Before both teens could get away, Iruka grabbed their wrists and dragged them off.

"When your parents find out you were up here," Iruka mumbled angrily, "And those women you sent, I can understand Naruto being involved, but Tenten?"

Tenten only laughed nervously. It was no secret that the two of them were partners in crime.

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Naruto knew his parents wouldn't approve of his troublemaking. They usually didn't, but today seemed to be different. For one, his dad wasn't the one scolding him. Instead, Minato was just watching him get chewed out by his mom. And secondly, his mother had turned into a fire breathing queen. She hadn't relented since Iruka had dragged them in, which had been more than fifteen minutes ago, and Naruto couldn't help but wonder if this would be over soon. Even Tenten seemed rather frightened as she cowered behind him. Really, he would be cowering too if he had somewhere to hide behind.

"…and I distinctly remember you promising to stay away from humans! Does that promise mean nothing to you!? Do you enjoy having your mother worry like this?! When Iruka told me you had disappeared…! I would have gone looking for you straight off the bat but…"

Ah yes, how could he forget? No wonder his mother was so worked up.

"Uhm, mother?" steel grey eyes locked on him and stopped speaking.

Her look made both teens jump but Naruto continued, "I know you're worried and I'm really _really_ sorry but…humans aren't like that anymore…"

Her eyes seemed to narrow dangerously, as if daring him to continue, "Really now? And how are you so sure?"

"They don't believe in us anymore, we're nothing but a myth to them!" It was true. All the books he had collected and read stated that mer-people were nothing but a legend. They didn't exist and so there would be no problem if he explored, so long as he wasn't seen, "And I did keep my promise. I said I wouldn't let any humans see me and they didn't!"

"And I made sure they wouldn't…while he went and did his business, we were careful, honest," Tenten continued.

"Business?" Kushina's eyes flared in recognition, "Did you go looking for that boy again? Naruto, didn't I tell you to keep away from him?!"

"Oops," Naruto openly glared at Tenten but she only smiled nervously.

"Yes mother, you have, but you've never told me why," he muttered.

"It's for your own protection, that's why!" and Naruto really couldn't listen to this anymore.

"Mother, I kept my promise, nobody saw me. Tenten was there with me and we're here now. We're safe, and just so you know, Sasuke wasn't there. He left for a while!"

He grabbed Tenten's wrist and pulled her along, not stopping even when his mother called out to him. He understood what his mother was saying and it truly hurt him to think about her loss but humans weren't savages. He had learned so much about them and their culture, their likes and dislikes, what they did for fun. They were just like them, except of course for the extra limbs they possessed.

"You sure we should have left her like that?" Tenten asked tentatively, easily breaking the hold Naruto had on her. They continued on, past his sleeping quarters.

"Yeah, I'll just apologize later."

"Are you sure you don't_ like_ like him?" Tenten questioned mischievously.

They had arrived at his "secret hideout" as he liked to call it. It really wasn't so much a secret though. Both his parents knew it existed and while Kushina wasn't sure of the exact location, he was sure she could take a guess at it. His hideout was more of a storage place where he kept all the treasures he collected. Books were everywhere, some silver wear was placed in wooden boxes, clothing was kept folded in crates, and many other goodies resided in there. The structure was built like a snail's shell with a single opening from above.

"I don't," he denied, a blush on his face.

"Then why don't you just listen to your mom? It would keep her from scolding you like this and you could focus on finding a girl to court, which by the way, was the reason your dad wanted to talk to you," Tenten raised an eyebrow as she lay on the floor. Her tail was swinging around, bubbles forming every now and then.

"There's something about him," Naruto whispered, "I'm not sure what it is, but…it makes me want to look for him. And no it's not love, it's something else. Hell, I don't even know what it's called! Besides, you know how I get when I don't see him…"

Tenten nodded, "Yeah, you get cranky."

Naruto only looked over at her, chuckling nervously. He really couldn't deny that now could he?


End file.
